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July 14, 2011 Special Dispatch No. 3997

Pakistani Security Analyst Examines Hizbut Tahrir's Role in Recruiting Pakistan Army Officials to the Cause of Establishing Islamic Caliphate

July 14, 2011
Pakistan | Special Dispatch No. 3997

Following the recent arrest of serving Pakistan Army officer Brigadier Ali Khan and four majors over their connections to the Islamist organization Hizbut Tahrir (HT) Pakistan, there is growing concern in Pakistan that the Islamic militants in the country may have penetrated deep inside the Pakistani military.

Hizbut Tahrir is an international movement of Islamists who seek to establish an Islamic caliphate worldwide by recruiting educated and professional Muslim youth to their cause. Concern about Hizbut Tahrir's influence among the Pakistani military officers grew in the wake of the May 22 militant attack on PNS Mehran, the Pakistan Navy headquarters in Karachi. It is believed that the PNS Mehran naval airbase attack was aided by officers within the Pakistan Air Force.

In a recent article titled "The Hizbut Tahrir Threat," Muhammad Amir Rana, a noted Pakistani commentator on security issues, argued that Hizbut Tahrir has "an anti-constitutional and anti-democratic outlook and agenda." Rana, who is editor of the research journal "Conflict and Peace Studies," warned: "Most analysts tend to watch madrassas and popular mass movements for signs of radicalization. The danger with HT is ever more serious and often overlooked because it is not always visible and does not conform to stereotypes."

Following are excerpts from the article:[1]

"[Hizbut Tahrir] Emphatically Asserts that the Only Way to Progress… is the Implementation of Islam as an Ideology in Pakistan, in Fact the Whole World"

"The arrest of Brig. Ali Khan and four majors last month bring Hizbut Tahrir (HT) into the spotlight. Though HT did not confirm or deny their links with itself, its spokesman in Pakistan said in a recent interview that the idea of [establishing an Islamic caliphate in Pakistan] resonates with officers of the armed forces.

"HT is an ideological group that falls somewhere between political Islamists and militant Islamists, and may also be classified as a kind of a revolutionary Islamist set-up. HT emphatically asserts that the only way to progress… is the implementation of Islam as an ideology in Pakistan, in fact the whole world.

"In Pakistan, it has an anti-constitutional and anti-democratic outlook and agenda, and its narrative on militant and violent movements and groups in the country remains vague. This vagueness is a major hurdle in assessing the real threat the group can pose. Most analysts tend to watch madrassas and popular mass movements for signs of radicalization. The danger with HT is ever more serious and often overlooked because it is not always visible and does not conform to stereotypes.

"HT's political discourse is based on religio-ideological narratives that are already in abundance in Pakistan and are one of the root causes of the main security threats posed to Pakistan's state and society. HT can, in fact, give impetus to the theo-political polarization in Pakistani society where space for any discourse other than the Islamist narrative has almost already disappeared. This is a threat in general, irrespective of which Islamist organization or group is contributing to it; and HT is also a part of this threat augmentation."

"HT Does not Discount the Possibility of Resort to Violence via the Military…; [It] has Been Linked to a Number of Terrorist Plots in Pakistan, Including an Attempt to Assassinate Former President Gen. Pervez Musharraf"

"HT claims to be a non-violent movement, but has been linked to a number of terrorist plots in Pakistan, including an attempt to assassinate former president Gen. Pervez Musharraf. A report by the Pak Institute for Peace Studies, quoting an HT member, claimed that the group did not deny the involvement of HT members in some 'violent activities' — such as the plot to assassinate Musharraf and the case of an army captain who faces court martial in Kotli, [a town] in Pakistan-administered Kashmir on charges of planning a coup on HT's behalf. Khilafat khilafat [slogans of 'caliphate, caliphate'].

"Some other factors also suggest that HT may pose potential threats to the security of the Pakistani state and society. Firstly, the frustrated youth associated with HT may get involved in terrorist activities; secondly, HT does not denounce such activities. Thirdly, HT does not discount the possibility of resort to violence via the military, in order to achieve the ultimate goal of establishing the state; it rather obliges it. Naveed Butt, HT spokesman in Pakistan, states that after the establishment of [the Islamic caliphate in Pakistan], part of the second phase will be to widen the borders of the state through offensive 'jihad' or aggressive warfare. Kufr khilafat. Khilafat khilafat. [the world 'infidels, caliphate, caliphate' – all slogans].

"At another level, the pursuit of a jihadist agenda cannot be ruled out in the case of HT. It believes that jihad and preaching will be used for 'taking humanity out from the darkness of (infidelity) to the light of Islam'[2] after the establishment of [Islamic caliphate]. Perhaps HT has assumed a timeline for the establishment of their [caliphate] in Pakistan after which it plans to pursue a 'jihad' to expand the boundaries of [the caliphate][3].

"However, the question is, if things do not happen according to HT's expectations, as the dominant discourse in Pakistan suggests, who can guarantee that the organization, or its members at least, will not adopt the militant or jihadist discourse to achieve their primary objectives, especially when there are already some indications of their involvement in such activities. Khilafat."

"HT has Been Persistently Targeting Pakistan Army Officials; In Two Military Coup Plots Unearthed in Pakistan, HT was the Prime Suspect"

"Secondly, HT tries to influence the political leadership, mainly leaders of Islamist parties in Pakistan. It claims, as discussed earlier, that they do not have a clear agenda and that HT can provide them with a viable blueprint for the establishment of [caliphate], or an 'Islamic' revolution, that they are working towards.

"Most Islamist organizations are traditionalists in their approach and work under the constitution of Pakistan. HT can lead the Islamists to a viewpoint that is characterized by opposition to the constitution. In other words, HT has the potential to compress the political and democratic space by guiding the Islamist parties and the citizens of Pakistan towards non-democratic and unconstitutional narratives of governance and state-functioning.

"Thirdly, HT has been persistently targeting Pakistan Army officials for enlisting and the fact that it has the potential to augment the 'Islamic revolution' niche occupied by some senior military officials cannot be ignored.

"It is pertinent to mention that in two military coup plots unearthed in Pakistan, HT was the prime suspect. A military court in Pakistan-administered Kashmir identified two military officers and two civilians in January 2010 as members of HT and charged them with planning to attack the Shamsi airbase in Baluchistan. This facility is generally believed to be used as a base for U.S. drones attacking targets in Pakistan's tribal areas. The accused were also charged with transferring sensitive information to HT, which had also developed close links with Maj.-Gen. Zaheer Abbasi, the main accused in the foiled military coup in 1995.

"Fourthly, HT concentrates considerably on university students and those studying in professional institutions. The infiltration of these groups, especially with an anti-state and anti-constitutional agenda, runs the risk of putting more and more educated Pakistani youth on the path of radicalization…"

Endnotes:

[1] www.dawn.com (Pakistan), July 11, 2011. The text of the article has been lightly edited for clarity.

[2] Here the word "infidelity" means "the world of infidels or being infidel."

[3] The article was published originally with words missing.

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